As the old year closes and a new one dawns, Canadians head into 2026 with an air of uncertainty prevailing in our land. This unpredictability exists within a government divided, a nation struggling to fulfill promises, mend fences, and heal wounds. Our Canadian project is currently without a clear path forward. Prime Minister Mark Carney has made numerous promises and spoken many words about developing our resources, building new homes, and strengthening our borders. His “elbows up” contingent is confident that Carney will deliver. The problem is that they seem content to accept whatever Carney offers as long as it protects their already secured treasure and maintains the status quo. This plan does not benefit the younger generation of workers who seek employment opportunities, good salaries, and the prospect of raising their families while avoiding the threat of financial difficulties. Polls reveal that every age group at the end of this turbulent year wants change, except for the age group that defines the “boomers” (born from 1946 to 1964). Something will have to give in 2026 for things to change, but here are a few matters worth considering as we enter the new year.
The mainstream media would like to pretend this problem exists only in Quebec. They would also like to ensure that the energy of national unity stays focused on making Quebec feel welcome in the Canadian confederation. They dismiss and diminish the problems in Alberta and Saskatchewan, insisting that western complaints are whining. The Quebecois have legitimate beefs. After all, like the indigenous folks, Canada has given them a raw deal, and we have a lot to repent for during our long history of abuse, neglect, and racism. Westerners may not feel frustrated within the union for the same reasons, but they feel misunderstood and taken for granted as the suppliers of wealth. An underground wealth that many other parts of the country oppose for their own selfish interests. If Carney and his Liberals continue to make only empty promises and do not push pipelines forward, there will be an outcry in the West. Not a desire for a change of government, but for separation. The Laurentian elite can laugh at the West threatening to separate, but there are untold Albertans and Saskatchewanians ready to consider the option. It would be in everyone’s best interest if Carney’s team brought more to the table than sweet talk, meaningless documents, or worthless promises. When talking to some of his supporters, one gets the sense that Canadians must listen to the banker because he knows best. It gets irritating to this aging eastern boomer to have these elitists wave off concerns about Carney’s blarney. I can only imagine how frustrated young Western-based trades workers must become when they hear the prime minister kowtow to the Laurentians and slow walk initiatives needed to get oil out of the ground. People in Ontario, B.C., and Quebec east should beware. Westerners are not kidding about their disgust with Ottawa’s lack of urgency. This author suspects this will become a big issue in 2026, much larger than our friends at the CBC, CTV, Torstar, or the Globe recognize.
CANADA-U.S. TRADE
Marco Rubio, the most powerful American cabinet secretary since Henry Kissinger, visited Niagara-on-the-Lake in November. Carney’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, failed to bring up trade talks despite having Rubio in her presence. Her excuse? She thought our trade representative would be the best person to handle these discussions. What happened to the Team Canada approach? After being elected last April, Carney expressed his desire to include every single player on the team. It seems unconscionable that after all the stalled talks, the failed opportunities, and the reality of the Trump tariffs, our government does not accept that we have to deal with the president who holds the office, not one we want. The window is closing. American economic growth, despite the reporting on our national networks, swamped Canadian economic growth in the last quarter (4.3 per cent to 0.4 per cent). The Carneyites can ignore the trends, mock Trump’s tariffs, and count on their 2025 voting coalition if they choose. If this deal goes south (literally) this year, there will be too many people paying too much for food, clothing, and other everyday items to care much about Carney’s big brain or his experience running central banks. Between national unity and trade with the United States, the prime minister has his work cut out for him. These would be enough to sink his electoral chances on their own. More problems await.
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NDP REVIVAL
The NDP hopes to select a new leader in 2026. From the ashes of the Jagmeet Singh era, they hope to rise again. The list of candidates ranges from Avi Lewis, hoping to win the leadership based on an extreme climate policy (“This pipeline will not be built. Not in B.C., not here in Quebec, not anywhere, it is not going to happen”), to Heather MacPherson (committed to every leftist cause and an opponent of capitalism), a sitting MP, to an unknown Farm Labour Leader and an equally anonymous Longshoreman. While a legitimate NDP presence could help the Conservative Party, these potential leadership candidates leave much to be desired. A Jack Layton or even a Tom Mulcair does not exist in this pack. Still, if Carney spends too much time mouthing the words of a progressive conservative, he could create tension among his left-wing followers. The NDP vote collapsed in 2025. If it inches up after the new leader takes over and the socialists can reclaim some of their voters, Carney will have a tough choice. He will either have to double down on crowding the middle or try to appease his left. This matter remains unsettled and will create more headaches for the Carney coalition of disgruntled Red Tories, frightened progressives, and “elbows up” boomers. Keeping these supporters in line may really give Carney’s big brain a whopper of a headache.
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The polls tell us two things. Despite the challenges that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has faced since losing his seat last April, the Conservative vote has remained stable through both positive and negative developments. The polls also reveal that Canadians, thanks to our preening mainstream networks, prefer Carney as prime minister. Meh! Almost every prime minister goes into an election as the preferred choice. Name recognition and uncertainty always pose barriers for a challenger. Poilievre should rebrand after the Calgary convention, but the media has overemphasized his need to shift his policies, change his team, or request a personality transplant. Workers like him, and younger voters prefer his message. And with U.S. President Donald Trump’s shadow not playing as large a role in the next election, Poilievre will not have to deal with as much hyperventilating about Canada becoming the 51st state or the feigned patriotism of the Canada First crew, who rediscovered their loyalties after years of allowing Canada to be run as a globalist outpost. Poilievre can be called a lightweight, too partisan, or unacceptable to the elitists who have run our government and controlled our airwaves for too long. Who gets out the vote will matter, and Canadians are less patient with Carney after almost a year of talk but very few results. The floor-crossing story may yet backfire on Carney, especially if foreign interference defines the issue. In The Music Man, Harold Hill tells the community that “You got trouble, folks, right here in River City, trouble with a capital ‘T’ And that rhymes with ‘P’ and that stands for pool.” Carney should beware. He has trouble, with a capital T, it rhymes with P, and that stands for Pierre.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023 (Redeemer does not necessarily endorse his opinions). He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
